I am a lay Parent Advocate assisting parents of children with disabilities in school IDEA, 504 and SST meetings. I am a former CHADD and LDA Coordinator, graduate of the 1st GA Advocacy Office PLSP legal training course and most importantly parent of two children with various disabilities.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

1/26/2003 - Two New Studies Conclude that Stimulant Medications do not Contribute to Risk for Later Substance Use, Dependence or Abuse

Subject: Two New Studies Conclude that Stimulant Medications do not Contribute to Risk for Later Substance Use, Dependence or Abuse

Two New Studies Conclude that Stimulant Medications do not Contribute to Risk for Later Substance Use, Dependence or AbuseDate: Mon, 6 Jan 2003 08:37:16 -0500

News From CHADDVolume Three, Issue One

For Immediate Release January 6, 2003

TWO KEY STUDIES HIGHLIGHT DECREASED RISKS FOR SUBSEQUENT SUBSTANCE ABUSEAMONG CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS USING STIMULANT MEDICATION FOR TREATMENTOF AD/HD-----------------------------------------------------------Results Conclude that Stimulants do not Contribute to Risk for LaterSubstance Use, Dependence or Abuse

Landover, MD-Stimulant therapy for Attention-Deficit/HyperactivityDisorder (AD/HD) may actually reduce risks for subsequent drug andalcohol use disorders according to two key studies featured in theJanuary 2003 issue of Pediatrics, the medical journal of the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Despite the well-documented efficacy and safety of stimulants for thetreatment of AD/HD, questions and confusion about potential risks forsubsequent substance abuse persist among the general public. Bothstudies independently conclude that treatment of AD/HD with stimulantsdoes not lead to substance use disorders; rather it actually produces a"protective effect" from subsequent drug and alcohol abuse.

"These research studies have critically important implications for CHADDand its 20,000 members," said E. Clarke Ross, CHADD Chief ExecutiveOfficer. "Families want reassurance that the treatment options they areusing are safe and effective. Both studies will arm our members andothers with the data, statistics and facts they need to make sound andconfident decisions when discussing one aspect of the risks and benefitsof medication intervention for AD/HD."

The first study, a prospective led by Russell A. Barkley, Ph.D.,formerly of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, andcurrently a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina inCharleston, followed 147 children with AD/HD for approximately 13 years.

The second study, a meta-analysis led by Timothy E. Wilens, M.D., ofMassachusetts General Hospital, examined over the course of from 4-15years, more than 1,000 youths with AD/HD who had participated in one ofsix long-term studies designed to determine if stimulant therapy forAD/HD can lead to substance abuse disorders.

"Our goal was to examine the impact of stimulant treatment duringchildhood and high school and its risk for substance use, dependence andabuse by young adulthood," said Barkley. "Our results are consistentwith 11 previous studies that likewise found no association betweenstimulant treatment and an increased risk of later drug use, includingstimulants and cocaine, among children with AD/HD."

Among the highlights:

* Stimulant-treated children had no greater risk of ever tryingdrugs by adolescence or any significantly greater frequency of drug useby young adulthood (Barkley et al.).

* Stimulant treatment in high school also did not influence druguse in high school or adulthood except for greater cocaine use. Atfirst blush, this finding may raise concern; however subsequent analysesdemonstrated that this e! levated risk was primarily explained by theseverity of co-occurring conduct disorder (CD) in both adolescents andadults (Barkley et al.).

* Children who had received stimulant medication for more than oneyear were no more likely to use drugs as adolescents or young adultsthan children who had received stimulant medication for less than ayear. Indeed, stimulant treatment for one year or more may contributeto a protective effect concerning the risk of hallucinogen abusedisorders in adults (Barkley et al.).

"Concerns exist that stimulant therapy of youths with AD/HD may resultin increased risk for subsequent substance use disorders," said Wilens."We therefore investigated all long-term studies in whichpharmacologically treated and untreated youths with AD/HD were examinedfor later substance abuse disorder outcomes. Our results suggest thatstimulant therapy in childhood is actually associated with a reductionin the risk for subsequent drug and alcohol disorders."

* The protective effect of stimulant medication use in reducingrisk of substance abuse was more robust in adolescence (5.8-foldreduction in risk) than in adulthood (1.4-fold reduction in risk)(Wilens et al.).

* Of similar interest, untreated adults with AD/HD have twice therisk of developing substance abuse disorders, while it appears thattreatment reduces the risk to that observed in young adults who do nothave AD/HD (Wilens et al.).

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) is characterized bydevelopmentally inappropriate impulsivity, attention, and in some cases,hyperactivity. AD/HD is a neurobiological disorder that affectsthree-to-five percent of school-age children and approximatelytwo-to-four percent of adults.

CHADD advocates a multimodal approach to the treatment of AD/HDincluding parent training in diagnosis, treatment and specific behaviormanagement techniques, an appropriate educational program, individualand family counseling when needed, and medication when required.